Inaugurated in 1957, IAFS is the only worldwide Association to bring together academics and practicing professionals of various disciplines in forensic science. They include:

	forensic scientists, who are generally responsible for autopsies and for clinical forensic medicine i.e., examination of victims of rape and other types of violence in adults and juveniles, taking sexual and other delinquents into care, etc.
	those working in police, government or private forensic laboratories, dealing with fingerprints, biochemical grouping, drug analysis, toxicology, ballistics, traces evidence examination, accident reconstruction, etc. and
	those working in other branches of forensic science, such as forensic psychiatry, physical anthropology, medical law and bioethics, forensic odontology, etc.

The aims and objectives of IAFS are:

	to develop the forensic sciences;
	to assist forensic scientists and others to exchange scientific and technical information, and
	to organize meetings

According to its Constitution, the International Association of Forensic Sciences organizes a World Meeting every three years. Since 1957, a total of 16 Triennial Meetings have been organized in major cities around the world:

	3 in the United States,
	2 in Canada,
	3 in Great Britain,
	6 in Continental Europe (Belgium, which hosted the founding conference, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, France),
	1 in Australia,
	1 in Japan.

Please click here for the Past IAFS Meetings.

The governing body of the Association is the Council which comprises all living Past Presidents and is chaired by the President in office. Elected by Council, the latter is responsible for organizing in the final year of his office an international meeting of the Association.

The next IAFS World Meeting will be held in Hong Kong in 2005.